About

I’ve always loved languages. Ever since my dad used to take me on holiday and push me to say a few words from his phrase book to local people (I’m sorry to anyone whose language a younger me may have butchered!!).

Fast forward to now, I set up SJM Tutoring because I wanted to share my love of languages with others.

My Background

I studied French and Spanish at the University of Glasgow from 2010 to 2015, and gained a First Class MA (Hons) degree in with a distinction in French and Spanish spoken language.

I then worked as a native English teacher at the École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay for 2 years, teaching English to adult staff and students of engineering, maths, computing science, physics, biology, economics and specialists of English.

These two years added to my previous over one year long teaching experience in France and Spain, at secondary and primary school level.

In 2017, I received a studentship from the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science to do an MSc in Applied Linguistics, and a PhD in Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. I achieved my Master’s with distinction in 2018, and graduated from my PhD in 2025. During my PhD I also taught French to undergraduate students, gave several lectures, and supported academic skills and writing in the PPLS Skills Centre.

I’ve studied several languages throughout my life. I specialise in French, Spanish and Catalan, but have also studied Italian, German and Scottish Gaelic. I’m also trying to learn Mandarin now too!

My academic background is in sociolinguistics, specifically language policy, but I have experience in language teaching, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and extensive experience in supporting students in various languages and at a range of stages.

I decided to set up SJM Tutoring for no reason other than the fact that I love languages,

and I want to share that love with other people who are just discovering them for the first time.

I’ve been through the language learning process myself several times over (I’m still going through it today!) and I know how difficult a journey it can be. But I also know just how incredibly rewarding it is when you finally realise you’ve moved beyond set words and phrases learned by heart, and you can start expressing yourself freely in a different tongue. It’s worth every minute of the effort you put in.

And I firmly believe that, with enough patience and motivation, anyone can do it.

So why not let me help you get started?

Our lessons will be built entirely around you - your aims, your experience, your pace. Whether you’re preparing for you school or university exams, need support on a year abroad, picking up a new skill for work, or just fancy trying something new, it would be my pleasure to help you on your language learning journey.

Stephen